


Run

by seungkwans



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe, Angst and Tragedy, Bad Decisions, Character Death, Gen, I'm Bad At Tagging, Inspired by Divergent, Jeon Wonwoo - Freeform, Kinda, M/M, Mention of Death, Seventeen - Freeform, Sorry guys, Wen Jun Hui | Jun-centric, Wonhui - Freeform, lee seokmin - Freeform, other idols mentioned - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:55:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27620341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seungkwans/pseuds/seungkwans
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo & Wen Jun Hui | Jun, Jeon Wonwoo/Wen Jun Hui | Jun
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	1. Why I Ran

**Junhui**

They kill ten of us every day.

It's a quick process.

Ten of us are called from the Black List, ten of us are lined up side by side, ten brown sacks placed over each of our heads, ten ropes used to bind our hands together behind our backs.

Then all ten of us are shot dead, one by one.

It's because of overpopulation they tell us.

It's because they need to control the numbers.

_Bullshit._

I know why they kill us. I know why they track us down if we run.

It's because of power.

They're scared of us. They're scared that we'll rebel someday, just like they did many centuries ago, so they kill the ones with hope, the ones with a voice.

Dad thought me how to hide my voice, he taught me how to fit in, how to be quiet, and how to hold my fiery tongue that I inherited from my mother.

I was good at blending in, good at being a Normal.

But that was before my name was called from the list.

And that was before I met Wonwoo. 

And that was before I ran, before I was caught. 

Now, I am alone.

And it's all his fault.

It's. 

All. 

Wonwoo's. 

Fault.


	2. The Ticking Watch

**Jun**

I sit quietly as I hear the sound of the bomb tick softly behind me. They tied me to it, told me that if I even put a _toe_ out from the pressure plate, I would be blown up into a million little pieces. 

Listening to the sound of the bomb slicing away my precious hours of time left, it reminds me of the old man's watch that ticked beside me on the day my name was called from the Black List. 

I don't really _want_ to think about that day. I don't want to remember anything anymore. In my final moments I want to be empty, I want to think that I'm leaving nothing behind.

But I can't.

I can't because of him.

_Wonwoo._

No. 

He's the _last_ person I want to think about right now.

He's the reason I'm here, he's the reason why I'm sitting in this tiny room, tied to a bomb, my nose still bleeding from where that soldier struck me in the face with his rough fist minutes ago.

He's the reason why I am to die in three hours. He's the reason why I don't _want_ to remember. 

But I will remember. 

I will remember, because my memories are all I have left. 

Okay Wonwoo, I _will_ remember you. I'll remember you _and_ our little journey that we took together.

You win, again.

Asshole.

~

The day my name got called, it was cold. The clouds swirled in the sky above my head, and a bitter breeze blew at my feet, making goosebumps appear all over my pale skin.

It was a normal day, and as usual, I went to fetch the water from the public well. A notice went up on the board that electricity bills were up by ten percent, and those who could not afford to pay it could use the public well for all their water-related needs. 

My father and I had not had electricity since I was ten years old.

"We can get by without it." my father would say when I had asked why we no longer payed out electricity bill.

Now, being the age of eighteen, I understood the _true_ reason why we didn't pay our electricity bill. It was just too dear, and with the last few fossil fuels being burned out, they were raising the prices like never before.

It was around the time that I finished reading that notice that I heard the familiar anthem of our country being played over the speaker. I dropped my bucket and bowed like everyone else and Mayor Kim began the daily speech.

As per-usual, I ignored it, but when he started reading out the Black List, I listened. 

The good ole' Black List.

The list that contained the names of those to be shot that day.

"And without further ado, here are the names of the following people who are to be sacrifice at today's ceremony." the Mayor's voice crackled over the speakers.

I held my breathe, as did many other men and women around me. 

"Jo Jinho, Kim Donghyun, Im Yeojin, Yoon Sanha, Yoo Jeongyeon, Han Eunji, Ha Sooyoung, Kim Jungwoo, Son Hyunjoon, and Wen Junhui."

And that was when the screams started as men and women fell to their knees and cried for their daughter or son's fate.

But in that moment, I was still.

_Wen Junhui._

_My name._

I didn't scream, nor did I cry. In fact, I remained still and quiet, and I did not sprint home to sob to my father.

It took a few minutes for the information to process quickly in my brain. I just stood there for what felt like years- trying to accept my fate.

I was to die today.

I was to be executed under the command of the Government.

But the Black List was a draw, wasn't it? Each day, the Government picked out random names from a bowl, whoever came out, that was that. 

The luck of the draw, as some might say.

But I was never fooled by the government's deception.

I knew I had done something wrong, perhaps put a toe out of line, but it was no accident or ' _luck'_ that had made my name be called over the speakers that day.

When the hysterical screaming and crying died down, I strained my hearing to hear the final words of the last announcement that I would ever hear.

"All participants in this afternoons ceremony should be outside the Grand Hall at twelve o' clock sharp. Anyone late will be executed on arrival, and anyone who fails to show up will be tracked down and tortured before death. This list is final.

I clenched my fist as I felt the anger towards the Government sell inside of me.

"Thank you, have a nice day."

And that was when I went to find my father. 

I ditched the bucket and fled from the town. I ran all the way home and burst through the door, when I found my father sitting at the table, his face buried in his hands.

Upon my arrival, he looked up, his eyes red with sad, angry tears. My father never cried, and this was new for me. He was the strongest man I had ever come across in my life, and there he was, crying right before my eyes.

He got up and hugged me then, telling me how brave I was, and how happy he was that I had made it this far. It was round that time that I felt tears prickle in my eyes, and I cried too, I cried because I was scared.

I spent the next few hours of my life alone, much like I am now, but back then, I was more scared then I am now.

Back then, I was stupid, come to think of it.

But anyway, the hours dragged by until finally the warning bells rang, signaling for the people from the Black Lists to start making their way to the Grand Hall.

I trudged there with my father, my secret knife tucked in my boot just in case, and my brown cloak on. If I was to die today, then let me die in style.

The wind picked up when we reached the Grand Hall, and the government soldiers seized me immediately on arrival, separating me from my father. 

That was the last time I saw him.

They led me roughly to the front steps on the Grand Hall, and tied my hands behind my back. As they did this, I looked around, looking at the other people who were to die with me.

Beside me stood an old man. His head was bowed and he was muttering a prayer under his breath. The only reason I recognized it was because my mother used to whisper the prayer into my ear evry night before I went to bed.

On my other side, stood a girl who looked to be thirteen years old. She had been crying, and she still was, not attempting to cover it up. One of the guards yelled at her to stop, and I tripped him up when he walked away from her. 

He gave me the dirtiest look ever and I stuck my tongue out at him.

He marched off in a huff, and I knew I had won.

Minutes later, the guard returned though, and he shoved the brown bag over my head roughly.

"You won't be sticking your tongue out at anybody ever again." he hissed in my ear, and then he marched off, and I was left blind.

When the twelve bells went off, signalling it was time, I heard the executioner load their gun and cock it back.

The first shot was the loudest.

Then silence as they cleared away the body.

During those silent moments, I head the old man's watch. I held onto that sound, trying to concentrate on the seconds, but then the second shot went off, and I lost count.

The third shot followed, and I heard a shrill scream come from beside me.

Then nothing. 

Nothing at all.

I knew then that the little girl beside me had been the third, which meant I was next, so I closed my eyes, even thought it didn't really make a difference, and I took one last breath, even though it wouldn't really matter either. 

And I waited. 

And waited.

And waited.

But nothing ever came.

The shot was fired, but I had not felt a thing.

For a moment, I stood there, confused. I had always imagined death to be more painful, you know? The bullet would pierce my pale skin and send rippling pain waves through my entire body, and I would fall and scream in agony, but I felt nothing.

On the contrary, I felt fine.

But then I heard yells, and they were angry yells, and I knew something wasn't right.

Then I heard the sound of sprinting feet and I felt the bag being ripped from my head. 

I squinted as my eyes adjusted to the light, and saw the executioner lying dead on the ground, only a few feet from me. He was lying on a pool of his own blood. 

I looked around and found a boy, rapidly sawing at the ropes that bound me with a knife.

When he was finished, and my hands sprung free, he stood up, grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the boundary fence.

"Come on. We don't have much time." he said sharply, looking back at me, his brown eyes blazing as he pulled me harder, forcing my feet to move.

I remember being frightened at the time. I didn't know the boy, I didn't know if I could trust him, and I didn't know what was happening. 

"Who are you?" I asked loudly as I stumbled with him.

The sound of gunfire filled the air. 

"That doesn't matter right now." he said roughly, as we reached the boundary fence.

"It's electrically charged." I said as he studied it closely.

He shook his head. 

"The power's down. Seokmin took care of that. Can you slip through that gap?" he asked, completely shooting down my point.

"I guess..." I said and he knocked me to the ground.

"Then start crawling."

I scrambled through the gap he followed me. I had never been out of town before, and I looked back in fear.

_We were going to be caught._

_We were **definitely**_ _going to be caught....._

"Junhui move!" he hissed, as he prodded me in the back with the hilt of his knife, and I moved, startled. I had no idea how he knew my name, but at the same time, I was so scared, that if he told me to strip and swim across the lake, I would have.

He didn't ask me to strip and swim across the lake though, instead, we sloshed through it together, him going first, me chasing after him.

By the time we reached the other side, I was exhausted, and he didn't even look out of breath.

I collapsed against a tree, and he stopped running and looked back at me, the first look of concern plastered across his face.

My vision was slightly blurred, and everything felt like it was happening in slow motion.

I felt my feet slip from beneath me, and the boy surged forward, catching me before I hit the ground. 

"Whoa. Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

I didn't reply. My mouth was failing me at that moment.

"Junhui?" he asked and I grabbed onto his arms as my legs buckled a second time.

I felt winded, and all I could do is wheeze in his face while I clutched my stomach.

"Junnie?" I heard him whisper quietly as I shut my eyes.

"Junnie...." 

My head spun like a merry-go-round. Only _one_ person had ever called me ' _Junnie'_ before, and that was Wonwoo, my childhood friend. But the boy holding me could _not_ be Wonwoo, because Wonwoo went missing when we were only little. No, I refused to let myself believe it.

But when I felt him lift me gently, and my breathing become shallow, I heard him hum a tune to me. It was out tune, Wonwoo's and mine. No other person in the damned world knew about that tune. 

"Wonwoo?" I asked quietly, trying to lift my head.

He shushed me, and I stopped trying to move, because my head was tired, and my heart was racing, and I was exhausted. 

I hummed along with him before I felt myself slip away.

~

I always think about what would have happened if I had refused to run with Wonwoo.

I always wonder if I would have ended up where I am now if I hadn't.

I want to scream at the top of lungs that I hate Wonwoo, that I should have never ran away with him.

But I know, deep down;

that's just not the truth.


	3. Pain

There's a bruise on my knuckle.

It's not that noticeable though, and I'm surprised that I can see it so clearly in this light.

I can't remember how I got it, but I guess it doesn't really matter anymore, because in a few hours;

I will be nothing.

It's a damn shame that there will be no trace of me left anywhere when I'm dead and gone. Even the bracelet that I had is now absent from my wrist, probably still hanging loosely around Seokmin's skinny arm, _forgotten_ \-- just like me.

Originally, I had planned to five that bracelet to Wonwoo, but then everything fell apart, and I gave it to Seokmin instead. 

Funny, that bracelet is. I've had it for as long as I can remember, but what's bugging me now is that, _I can't remember how I got it._

A present, maybe? A gift from my father? Or had Wonwoo once slipped it onto my wrist when I was little, meaning it to be a symbol of our friendship?

Some friendship _that_ was.

Although, I'll admit, it was perfectly fine before he ruined everything. Before that moment when I finally realized; 

_He really doesn't care about me._

Truth be known, I'd like to be able to admit to myself that I like Seokmin more than Wonwoo; _what's not to like about Seokmin?_ For some reason, as the sun is starting to descend lower in the sky, I feel like Seokmin should be the one that I should be thinking about right now. 

But no.

My mind -- _for some wretched reason that I can't seem to understand --_ is thinking about Wonwoo. 

I stare down at the bruise on my knuckle again.

It's somewhat beautiful, with it's dark tones of blue and red blending to create a dark violet color.

_Why is it so beautiful?_

But then again, pain is beautiful. 

Isn't that right, Wonwoo?

~

When I woke up, I was not in my little matchbox of a bed that I had expected to find myself in. Instead, I found myself lying on a bed of leaves and softened turf, that woodsy smell filling my nose as I sat up and tried to grasp my surroundings. 

Then everything crashed down on me like a tsunami.

_Black List, gun shots, ticking watch, me not dying, and Wonwoo._

_Wonwoo who was supposed to be dead after all these years._

But he was there, right in front of me, humming as he roasted -- _what appeared to be --_ fish on a stick, his dark brown fringe falling in his face, making him look older than I had imagined him to look like. 

He hadn't changed, apart from his height increasing so I am no longer taller than him, and his face showed signs of stubble, indicating he needed a shave. Also, his voice had deepened-- _a lot,_ which was a little weird, because the last time I had spoken to him, his voice had been higher than a girl's.

He spotted me then, staring at him curiously, and he smiled, maybe a little proud that he had caught me staring. 

"Looks like someone's finally awake." he said haughtily, placing the fish on a rock before plodding over to where I was sitting up.

He crouched down and smiled. 

"How do you feel?" he asked gently, and I narrowed my eyes at him wearily.

"You're supposed to be dead." I said bluntly, ignoring his question and shooting a spark into a dwindling fire.

He coughed nervously, clearly taken slightly aback at my brashness. 

It took him a few moments to come up with a counter statement, and when he did, he looked a little sad, but I wasn't going to sympathize him just yet. Not after I had spent at least three years of my childhood crying over this boy that wasn't actually dead.

"It's a long story Junnie." he said cautiously, knowing that he was skating on thin ice with me at the time.

"I have time." I snapped at him, eleven years of anger beginning to boil up in my veins. _He had been alive all this time. All those sleepless nights were over nothing._

He sighed then, and I think in that moment, he remembered my temper, and how easy it could explode if someone would only light the fuse.

"I can't tell you now. Not in the open. We're too close to home at the moment. For all I know, this area could be bugged, and the Government are on their way." he said, his voice hushed.

I was fuming at him. Unimpressed that he refused to tell me anything.

"Then I'm leaving." I hissed, standing up and brushing down the dirt off my jeans. Wonwoo stood up with me, revealing just how tall and handsome he had become. He was looking at me with a hard expression on his face. One that I wasn't quite used to seeing on him.

"You're leaving huh? And where are you going to go? If you even try to set foot in our old village, you'll be killed right on the spot." he said roughly, and I turned my back on him .

"I have to find my father." I said coldly, and I heard a sharp breath being taken from behind me.

"Jun, he's--" 

" _Dead?_ Don't you think I already know that? And it's all your fault! I don't know what the hell you're doing here Wonwoo, but you need to get out of my life before you make it any worse than you already have!" I yelled at him, my temper finally exploding, making the thin ice break from beneath our little friendship that we had managed to save after all these years.

"Oh, so you think this is my fault?" he howled, his eyes narrowed.

I whirled around, shaking with rage.

"Be more obvious, could you?" I spat at him.

"Your father said you haven't changed, but I'm having a hard time believing that." he growled, and for some reason, that hurt me, because when I was little, I had always dreamed of Wonwoo coming out of the forest, saying that he was not dead and he had only got lost. I had always dreamed of us being incredibly happy, and he would pull me close and promise that he'd never leave me again.

I had never imagined such a bitter reunion like this.

"And what would you know about my father?" I snarled at him, fists clenched so that they were nearly white in color. 

"A hell lot more than you thought you ever would." he said coolly, his brown eyes now like black holes, empty of any warmth. 

That was the final straw for me then. I simply shook my head, angry tears stinging my eyes, and I turned my back on him again, except this time, I sprinted away.

  
"Jun, no!" I heard him yell as heavy footsteps ran after me, but I had always been faster than Wonwoo, more capable to run with incredible speed for greater distances than he had ever been able to.

And the tables hadn't turned.

By the time I stopped, I was surrounded by thick, evergreen trees in the dark, only the sound of my labored breathing filling the chilly night air that surrounded me. There were no more heavy footsteps, and that meant that I had lost Wonwoo, which was a relief.

But then I came to the conclusion that I had no idea where the hell I was.

The only light I had was the moon and the stars, but that wasn't doing me any justice, and when I started to hear noises, my heart rate increased and fear flooded my body.

I had never really enjoyed being alone, and the fact that I was alone in an unfamiliar area, in the pitch dark, by myself... it was really taking it's toll on me.

And then, being the genius I was, I stepped right into a trap. 

It was a net, one of those ones that snapped up and left you hanging there until the person who set it came to find you. At first, I thought I'd be okay, because I allowed myself to believe that it was simply a trap for a deer, but when the sirens started blaring, I knew it was a government trap.

I was doomed.

I squirmed around helplessly, even attempting to bite the rope in an effort to make it snap, but it was useless.

I was trapped. 

The sound of tires racing across the forest filled my ears as I desperately tried to somehow escape, but I was a goner. 

_Unless_...

"WONWOO!" I screamed as headlights flashed through the fir leaves of the evergreen trees.

"WONWOO!"

And then, he was there, knife in his hand, sawing rapidly as the trucks braked, and the doors opened, dozens of boots marching on the forest floor. 

"I told you not to run off." he said, but he sounded more worried than annoyed.

The rope snapped and I tumbled out, landing on my ankle, making a sickening crunch echo though the night air.

"Shit." I cursed, clutching my ankle as Wonwoo crouched down beside me. In the dark, all I could make out where the dark of his eyes.

"Was that your ankle? he whispered, and I nodded while he sighed and I saw his silhouette run a hand though his hair . 

"I can lift you --"

"I can handle it myself." I said gruffly, getting to my feet, but the minute my foot made contact with the floor, I winced and stumbled to my knees.

"Jun--"

"Just _go_." I said as a government soldier burst through the trees, his torch shining directly on me.

Wonwoo gave me a hard look.

"No way."

"We've got them!" yelled the soldier.

"We've--"

But he never go to finish, because at that moment, Wonwoo flicked his wrist and sent his knife whizzing through the air and straight into the throat of the soldier.

My eyes widened as I watched the soldier fall to the ground;

_Dead._

"There's from where he came from." Wonwoo said, and all I could do was stare at him, stare at this new Wonwoo who killed a man in the blink of an eye. Killed a stranger that could have had a wife, kids, brothers and sisters....

He scooped me up and we fled the scene, me gaping at the dead soldier the whole time until he vanished from my sight. 

Later on that night, when we had returned to where Wonwoo had set up camp originally, he placed me on his sleeping bag and i cringed, clutching my badly swollen ankle. 

Wonwoo helped me bandage it up using some white bandage, and when we finished, he stared at me wincing about my pain before he said;

"Pain is a beautiful thing."

I frowned, not quite understanding what he meant, but then he took a deep breath and elaborated on his puzzling sentence.

"It's better than feeling nothing, isn't it? I mean, at least you now you're hurting when you feel pain. It's dangerous when you feel nothing, because then you can't be sure if you're actually hurting or not..." he trailed off, a mist in his eyes.

"At least that's what I think."

And I nodded, not saying anything because I was still a little confused at what he meant, and then we sat in silence together for the night, Wonwoo occasionally asking questions concerning my health. 

~

I think I finally understand what Wonwoo means now -- by pain being ' _a beautiful thing.'_ It's a shame that I can't tell him -- or tell _anybody_ for that matter.

Another devastating fact that I have to accept: nobody will know that finally figured out Wonwoo's riddle, that I can finally see clearly what he was trying to depict that night by the fire.

And how do I know for sure that I've solved his puzzle?

Well, here I am, strapped to a death alarm, feeling a slight pain in my knuckle from the bruise.

And it looks like you're right Wonwoo.

I would much rather be feeling the slight pain in my knuckle than feel nothing at all.

So I'll say it again.

Pain is a beautiful thing.

**Author's Note:**

> New story! Whoop whoop!  
> It's going to be so much different from playlists, but i'm so excited!  
> Hope you guys enjoy!


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